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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27908440">Generation 1, Part 5</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicecrow6/pseuds/alicecrow6'>alicecrow6</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Batkids Age Reversal, Dead Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas is Signal, Gen, Harper Row is Oracle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:35:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27908440</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/alicecrow6/pseuds/alicecrow6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Duke Thomas- Signal (16)<br/>Harper Row- Oracle (14)</p><p>Damian Wayne is dead and Harper and Duke deal with it in their own ways.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Duke Thomas &amp; Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas &amp; Harper Row &amp; Damian Wayne, Harper Row &amp; Damian Wayne, Harper Row &amp; Duke Thomas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>An ever growing family of Bats and Birds [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998205</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Generation 1, Part 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harper sits in her wheelchair. She sits and she waits. </p><p>A few moments later she’s alerted to another presence on the roof when a shadow drops soundlessly beside her.</p><p>She shoots a smile towards Duke but he doesn’t grace her with even a glance.</p><p>Her smile wanes slightly but she tries to stay strong.</p><p>The two sit in silence before Harper decides that enough is enough.</p><p>“Bruce has gone crazy. He’s bought me and Cullen an apartment and refuses to let me pay him back. He thinks that just because these bad boys” she lightly pats her legs “can’t move anymore that I’m a charity case,” Harper shakes her head at the stupidity.</p><p>Duke gives a quick glance towards her legs before looking away just as fast. </p><p>Harper grits her teeth in frustration. What right does he have to be mildly fucking uncomfortable?</p><p>“I’m gonna make a new team. Already thought of a name. It’s gonna be big, a real badass group that Damian’s gonna think is sick when he looks down from heaven. Though I’m not unsure that he won’t just throw down spitballs” Harper jokes. The joke hangs in the air and she wishes she could hang herself on it.</p><p>Duke still doesn’t say anything.</p><p>“I won’t be able to go out on the field anymore, of course, but I can be the eye in the sky, make weapons, and solve cases all from the comfort of my own home,” Harper says with fake cheer.</p><p>“You're invited of course-“ Harper starts to say before she’s interrupted.</p><p>“I’m leaving Gotham. I’m moving to San Francisco, with the Titans” Duke says quietly.</p><p>Harper looks at him. </p><p>She looks at him and seethes at the words that he says and doesn't say.</p><p>She looks at him and wonders where her best friend is. Wonders where Duke-motherfucking-Thomas is. Wonders where Lark is.</p><p>Wonders if he’s dead in the ground with Damian. Wonders if they’re all dead in the ground with Damian.</p><p>“You're a fucking coward you know that? A god damn mother fucking coward! Go on, run! Run back to your super-powered team and leave us normies when we need you most! When I need you most!” Harper yells at the bastard that took over her best friend’s body.</p><p>“Harper, you know it’s not like that” Duke tries to explain.</p><p>“Isn’t it? Isn’t it Duke? Damian fucking dies and your first instinct is to fly the coop! Excuse me if I’m not buying it!” Harper’s hands curl up into fists and the edge of her lips grow mean.</p><p>“I can’t stay! Why don’t you get that! Damian’s dead and Gotham is a fucking coffin that’s door is about to shut! I’m tired, Harper! I’m fucking tired!” Duke turns to look at her for the first time since he’s dropped onto the roof and Harper hates the way his eyes immediately find her legs.</p><p>“And I’m fucking crippled!” She says it with so much anguish and anger that it makes Duke take a step forward. </p><p>He stops dead in his tracks when she glares at him, her eyes full of hate.</p><p>"I can't even fucking walk anymore but unlike some people, I'm not about to run away from my responsibilities" Harper spits out, her small frame shaking with righteous fury.</p><p>"More like you can't run in the first place" Duke fires back, angry, and tired, and cruel. </p><p>As soon as it leaves his mouth he feels like vomiting. He opens his mouth to apologize, to get on his knees and beg for Harper to understand that he didn't mean it, but Harper stops him with a single raised hand.</p><p>She turns away from him and instead looks at Gotham. For a long moment, she says nothing.</p><p>Then, quiet and soft, she speaks.</p><p>“Blackbird is dead and Bluebird is unable to fly but I always thought that at least Lark is still out there. Guess I was wrong about that too huh?” The statement is said derisively and Duke wants to reach out his hands</p><p>“Lark is dead. Lark is dead and I’m tired of pretending he’s not. I’m tired of wearing the skin of a dead man,” Duke says drained and jaded.</p><p>“Damian would be fucking appalled,” Harper says in disgust. Her face scrunches up and Duke feels numb as he looks at the face of his best friend.</p><p>Duke can’t refute her statement, because she’s right. Damian would be fucking appalled. But Duke doesn’t care. Why should he care about the whispers of the dead when they’re the ones that left him. </p><p>“Gotham’s a shit hole. You know this, so why don’t you come with me? Please Harp, you and me, we can leave. We can go someplace else and live out our days together,” Duke pleads, dignity forgotten in the face of hope, however futile, that his last still living and sane family might join him for a better life.</p><p>“It might be a shit hole, but it’s my shit hole,” Harper sneers.</p><p>And that’s it. That’s the end of the line for Gotham’s Birds. </p><p>Duke doesn’t know why it hurts so much.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Up next is interlude two with the birds of pray.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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